Still reeling from last night’s outcome? Blame it on ratings. And ABC.
I came back from last night’s romantic Indian dinner and decadent hot fudge sundae (thanks Ilan) to a show I was half dreading. My own sixth sense is akin to the one that Haley Joel Osment channeled in that blockbuster M. Night Shymalan film. RE: We both live in a perpetual state of fear of some tortured event that will likely leave us devastated. In other words, we’re always waiting for the other shoe to drop and last night, as my shoelace kept untying on my walk home from dinner, I knew something was askew.…
Article comments
26 - JoeD
I'm amazed how there is now a rising anti Stacey faction. She is a breath of fresh air, the girl next door mentality and it's refreshing that she has turned down offers to pose nude. Jerry obviously is staying because of football fans who remember his status as a player.
27 - Natalie Davis
Mr. D: You are amazed that people have opinions that differ from yours? Wow...
NR Davis
28 - Sue
Jerry is a great guy, but not the best dancer. ABC, all you have to offer is Wheel of Furtune and Jeopardy. Take a lesson from Skating with Celebreties.
29 - Nadia
I absolutely agree with all who wrote to say that Lisa should have stayed to the finals. She's so talented and such a trooper! Stacey is beautiful and "all that", and a pretty good dancer, in my opinion.But she has had the advantage of many years of dance training in her youth. That doesn't make it fair as far as people without any prior training, with respect to showing how well they can learn a new skill (on the dance floor.)Most of the contestants have never had any dance training.So they are at a disadvantage. And I can clearly see bias when male judges remark on someone's outer appearance instead of focussing on technique! I'm taking ballroom dance lessons with my husband and it's no cakewalk. Kudos to those who make an effort and improve; boos to those who are there mainly for self-promotion. You know who they are!
30 - Gerald Golden
Let's face it. Jerry Rice couldn't dance at the beginning of the competition and he still can't dance. It's his fan base (football worshippers) that kept him on the show. This should be a wake-up call to all those who said, "no way, he can't win, why should I vote?" Now you know why. Shame on you for not voting.
31 - Jan
LIsa should still be there and Jerry should be gone. Don't get me wrong, I love Jerry Rice, but when it comes to dancing, which is what this show is SUPPOSED to be about, Lisa beat him hands down.
I blame Len. I think his comment that Jerry was the worst drew a lot of anger and sympathy votes. My opinion is that this show is rigged and has been since the gitgo. Otherwise Master P would have been gone the first week.
This should not be a popularity contest, it should be about talent, hard work and ability. Lisa is quite clearly the better dancer. Even Jerry knows that.
ABC, you've put on quite a scam. I will finish watching this season and push all my votes to Drew. I won't be back next season and I think you will find your ratings will be in the tank. I'm not the only fan that is truely disappointed.
And, I agree with one writer. Why won't you give us the figures on how many votes were cast for each star. I guess that might mess up your plan.
32 - nancy
i love ballroom dancing and have watched your show from the beginning. however, i may not watch this show any more. there is no doubt that every contestant works very very hard and to see someone who is definitely not the best dancer get voted in and someone else who has by far out danced them just because they may be very popular in another field is not what i thought this show was about. if you are going to have legimate dancing competition, then i feel the judges should have the final say, not the public which makes it a popularity contest.
33 - Linda
I have been a ballroom dance instructor for thirty years and am just thrilled that a tv show about ballroom dancing is so popular and incites so much controversy.
No matter what is said by a male or female judge, Stacey is the best dancer out there. Should she win? Not neccessarily. Drew tries hard and does have a great partnership with his instructor. I think it is fun to see how the results turn out. This show was always half popularity contest and half comments from judges anyway.
Just have a look at those judges. Yes, they are very entertaining but let's face it do any of them really know about ballroom dancing? In all the years I have been in the business I have never seen or heard of Bruno or the female judge. Len Goodman, yes but he really hasn't been in the dance circuit surrounding all the major competitions.
When the Judges speak of each dance it sounds as if they went home and memorized sentences which describe each dance. When they make stupid comments about "Samba is supposed to make me think of Brazil" oh please, anyone who has spent years trying to perfect the techniques would know much more about what to look for from each dancer.
All the talk about feeling and facial expressions is ludicrous also. Does that really matter if the techinical aspects are so well developed.
Some of the comments made about Stacey's Quickstep were ludicrous. That girl did an amazing job for the amount of time she had to learn the dance I was impressed and I have studied Quickstep for many years and danced in the pros in the five Standard dances. Would I ever say that Stacey is as good as some of the pros? No. Not top pros such as the likes of some of the teachers on your show. She is a good pro/am student but not pro material at this point. I couldn't believe the female judge made that comment to Stacey.
I say we make the judges dance. Let's see how they can do. I don't believe that two of them know anything at all about Ballroom dancing.
Should they be replaced. The female judge, yes. Bruno, no because he really is funny and he has a good eye even if he doesn't know ballroom. Len should stay as he is the only legitimate ballroom judge.
Make the judges dance. Pleae.
34 - Sandra Hickey
I, too, am through with Dancing with the Stars. Jerry Rice, from what I hear, is a great guy...family man...and football player; HOWEVER, although he has improved with his dancing, he is stiil not a great dancer. There is no way that he should still be in the competition...guess it's just a "popularity" contest. If you want to keep your viewers, you'd best put some new rules in place. I felt this same way when Master P kept "returning" -- .
35 - Jean
I kind of stumbled on this. I only the very last 30 seconds. Actually thought Lisa won! Jerry seems like everyone says, a great guy, but he can't really dance. He has made improvements but he's very stiff. Did anyone that voted see Lisa Rinna move at all. She was great!
36 - Susan
When Lisa didn't win I couldn't believe it, how can anyone think Jerry Rice is better than her. Just because someone is a nice guy doesn't mean he should still be there. Lisa was so dedicated it just broke my heart that she was out. Fans calling in should not decide who wins, it should be the judges!!! Please don't vote for someone just because they are beautiful this is about talent and hard work. Lisa, you are the winner in my book!! Good luck to you.
37 - Doris
I can only add my DITTO to the comments above.
Jerry is a nice guy ... is great on the FOOTBALL field ... has demonstrated that he is eager to learn but face it, he just doesn't have the pizzazz that Lisa has.
Lisa was shafted. Sorry, that's just about it.
Drew ... well, Drew is WOW! I didn't know he existed until I caught the show about 3 weeks ago.
Stacey ... she's got legs!
38 - Connie Delgado
All I can say is, "14 years of dance training, then being a professional cheerleader, in my books that makes her (Stacy) a professional dancer!" If you have been paid to dance, and cheering "is" dance, then you are a pro! Two professional dancers competing as partners, HOW FAIR IS THAT????
39 - Jennifer
I happened upon your blog after doing a search for "Dancing with the Stars." I couldn't agree more with everything you said, from getting a busy signal when I tried to vote for Lisa & Louie to my interest in the show definitely lessening after the latest result show. I'm surprised at Jerry Rice's fanbase calling in so much week after week. I think it's painfully obvious that Lisa was robbed. I guess that's the fun of reality TV when the public's vote counts for 50%.
40 - Amanda
I am not sure why anyone would think that Lisa should not go, she didn't have that much of a fan base, pretty face and good as Billie on Days, but that is about it. The people love Jerry Rice and therefore vote to keep him there. I, myself voted for Stacy to stay. I think she is very intelligent and she sure has some moves. For those that don't know of her it is because you watch shows that are made for women and she comes from a mens soap opera - WWE. Stacy is no bimbo and I hope that she takes it all!
41 - Karen
It was very clear when they announced that Jerry Rice was saved that Lisa would be leaving. The problem is with the judging. There is no way that Stacy should have gotten 3 10's when she danced first. A perfect routine, compared to who?
The scoring is once again a sham.
Lisa certainly deserved to go on to the finals. I won't be watching the last 2 shows.
42 - Donna T
I was very upset with Friday nights results...
This should not be a popularity contest.. Lisa deserved to be in the top 3 finals. Jerry seems like a nice guy, but cannot dance. This is supposed to be a dance contest, the best dancers make it to the finals. This obviously is not the case.
43 - Diane C
A gentleman would not accept a win he didn't earn, so I have to question Jerry Rice's comments about being a gentleman. He has improved but was substantially inferior to George Hamilton. I guess winning is just too important to some people - it doesn't matter if they deserve it or not. Yep, I'm dropping both these shows - Dancing and the Bachelor. I love dancing but I am ashamed of myself for watching the degrading bachelor. So much for women's lib.
44 - Joanie
I had no trouble phoning in to vote for Lisa. That said, I did split my votes between Lisa and Stacy. I think Stacy has the more innate talent, but you can't deny Lisa's efforts and enthusiasm.
This article has been selected for Advance.net!
45 - Betty
I can not believe how childish all of you so called fans are. Do you think ABC cares if 10 people don't watch the finale because they did'nt like the results? And obviously if you were getting a busy signal when you voted for Lisa that means that many other people were voting for her it happens all the time on Idol. This is a popularity contest and Lisa just was'nt all that popular. So stop watching if you want but the show will go on and Stacey and Drew will tie in the end. It is a great show, the only one that makes me smile from start to finish.
46 - Di LaCastro
Deliberating a long time on the results of DWTS's last show, I truly do believe that quite a bit of voting has much to do with favoritism and fan base. I am truly disappointed too with the results. Without trashing anyone or idolizing either, I would venture that ABC needs to address its voting structure and decidedly have a longer call-in time for the voting public.
This was obvious with "P" and his too long stay. (Sorry "P" this is not meant to trash you.) I have nothing against any male or female on the show; I, infact, do enjoy the show even with its flaws, realizing too that the judges have their moments. I also felt the vote for Lisa to leave was a major fault. All these men and women both professional and non-professional are sensational, deserving of respect and should be congratulationed for their very hard work and heartfelt presentations.
So for a show like this to be fair, a more developed judging base needs to be addressed to avoid skewing the results either way, and then with the kinks worked out, the tweaking technique might leave the show with some REAL results and not so many faults and disappointed viewers.
47 - Di LaCastro
Deliberating a long time on the results of DWTS's last show, I truly do believe that quite a bit of voting has much to do with favoritism and fan base. I am truly disappointed too with the results. Without trashing anyone or idolizing either, I would venture that ABC needs to address its voting structure and decidedly have a longer call-in time for the voting public.
This was obvious with "P" and his too long stay. (Sorry "P" this is not meant to trash you.) I have nothing against any male or female on the show; I, infact, do enjoy the show even with its flaws, realizing too that the judges have their moments. I also felt the vote for Lisa to leave was a major fault. All these men and women both professional and non-professional are sensational, deserving of respect and should be congratulationed for their very hard work and heartfelt presentations.
So for a show like this to be fair, a more developed judging base needs to be addressed to avoid skewing the results either way, and then with the kinks worked out, the tweaking technique might leave the show with some REAL results and not so many faults and disappointed viewers.
48 - Laurie
I enjoy the show immensely, even though it is fixed. Drew started out good and has gotten better, but Lisa was the most improved dancer on the show. She should still be in the running. Jerry is a great guy, but his dancing stinks. He is as stiff as a board. The judges should mark on dancing skills, not sexiness. I predict Drew will win.
49 - Josephine
"A gentleman would not accept a win he didn't earn, so I have to question Jerry Rice's comments about being a gentleman."
Jerry earned this as much as anyone else did. He danced, he got judged and he got voted on by the public. So did Stacey, Drew and Lisa. Jerry made it through to the final round. Good for him. I will be voting for him on Thursday night like I have been since the beginning. GO JERRY!
50 - P R Matthews
You lost me and about 24 others in out little circle of family and friends in three different cities! I think that Beth Ann Gottfried said it all. Last year I went out of my way to suggest the show to several different people from ages 18 to 89 (my father). We all liked it and enjoyed it until this bit of stupidity that you pull last week. I started watching the show because of the dance, I did not think it was going to become a sham popularity contest. I think that you have killed the show for any chance of being rated next year. That's if you can get sponsors after such a debacle. I would also be surprised if the Judges would want to risk their reputations and show up next year. To the Judges money should not be the allurment, professionalism is how they earn recognition.You obviously riged the voting to get what you thought would be the biggest viewing audience, it backfired from everyone I've talked too. I will leave you with your own mentally contrived egregious attitude toward the viewing public which you seriously under-rated.
51 - Nancy Truax
I think Stacey deserves the whole thing; who cares if she is a wrestler? I don't. I think she is amazing. But what has happened since the beginning of this season is ridiculous. Gizelle should never have lost to P, or whatever else he is known by. He could barely move. The people who judge this should be the judges, and perhaps the audience in the studio. I also tried to vote for Stacey 8 times last week and I could not get in. Lisa should be there, also. I have the greatest respect for Jerry Rice as a football player and positive role model. But in dancing, he is mediocre. This show could have been really fun and great for ALL ages. But I too think I am done after this season.
52 - Sandra
My husband and I seldom watch television, but, we were at a friends house when the final show aired last season and became interested, however, we were dumbfounded when we watched the first vote off...we thought the public was supposed to vote on the BEST, not the most popular. We were astonished when Master P was not voted off first, who in their right mind would think he was even interested in what he was doing! Then, we continued watching, mainly to see how long he would stay on, knowing he was always the worst dancer.
Now, the finals....we are not going to watch them as it seems too much to be a popularity contest. Shame on you and shame on the viewers. Can't you be honest and vote for the best dancing, or at least the most improved?
53 - Lynda
I hope Lisa Rinna is reading these comments. She deserves the grand prize. She should never have been voted off! Jerry Rice stinks.
54 - Josephine
Lisa seems fine with everything.
55 - Lulu8
Folks, even in the real competitions people lose who should've won. This is real life. Look at last year, Kelly Monaco won because she was the most improved and knew how to shake & show what she had - and it wasn't dancing. In fact, I saw very few "real" ballroom/latin dance steps. Tony is smart, he, too shows off Stacy's attributes. And, he sticks with only BASIC moves; nothing too daring. Admittingly, Stacey moves well and is graceful but there is little advance dancing in her routines. Jerry started out well but his posture never seemed to improve. I think he should be proud of his accomplishment - he was a better Ballroom dancer than Latin; as much as I liked Lisa and voted for her to continue (as I thought she was better than Jerry), her dancing was inconsistent. Where Jerry seemed too relaxed, Lisa was sometimes too rigid. But each week she improved and tried harder steps. My last vote for the winner will go to Drew if he dances as well as he has all along. He, too, needs to drop and pull back his shoulders. FYI - even the Britsh show (Strictly Come Dancing) has it's complaints about the judges/audience choices. They seem to like their orchestra though.
56 - Pat
For those who think Jerry is not a gentleman because he accepted a win that he did not earn, please come on, get real, he worked as hard if not harder than rest, he improved every week but was never given any credit for it, he was voted on to the next level and therefore he earned it as much as the other 2 couples that was voted on. Jerry was a class act, he did not whine, nor pouted as some suggested, he was always asked how he felt about the judge’s low score (which was totally unfair) and he answered the question. It was never all about talent, because if it was the judges would not be judging the way they do.
57 - JAR
Any time personal opinions are incorporated into a contest, it is up to critisim by all.
EG Olympic figure skating.
Competing against the clock or side by side movements with exactly the same steps is the true judge of the "winners". So we are left with an imperfect scoring and results. We all have our favorites for whatever reason. And I could not vote for mine because the lines were constantly busy... So should I complain because I could not vote???
58 - Carolyn
I'm with Karen's comments that I will not be watching the end of this 'popularity' (not dance) contest or any you may have for next season. I agree with most of the blogs that Lisa was definitly not treated fairly. I watched her the next day on Soapnet and she was so gracious. If all the sponsors read this, they may think twice about sponsoring this farce.
59 - Ria
First of all let me say I love dancing with the stars. And I never miss the show. I have a lot of my friends on board . We all get together and wait for the show to go on . We all wish it came on more. Not just once a year .I think we should have more time to cast our votes. I could not vote on Monday night, I'm so upset about that. I no that a lot of my friends could not vote on Monday Night and I think Gilles and Cheryl would of win. Because all of there votes was for Gilles and Cheryl We all no that Gilles and Cheryl was the best couple and should of win hand down.I think Cheryl is a great dancer and I love what she bring to this show. And in my book she is one of the best dancers on this show, And she should of win today.Shawn was good but I think she should not have won.Gilles and Cheryl was out standing and no one can take that away from them.Cheryl hold your head up high and keep on doing what you do.You are a star in my book and the best dancer on this show. See you next year,